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sharp lawyer ol New Orleans, who usual 1 \ passed 11is summers liere, on (lie properly m>\v owned by Madame < > I?>ii<mi. lie a[ij>1 icd in person lor advice to < lov. ('lai 1 >orii<*, who gave liim (Ik* following let I or to the Attorney General.
Nrw Oi: i,f: \	.lunc fifli, 1S f |,
? Tim hoaror, ;jm hnjH'st and woll moaninu i m s I ice* of the j ?;i r isl i of Hiloxi, is harrassud for an ml, whmli, although pot hap*, not strieily loj*al, appoais ii'V-rllndr.-s, lo havo lu-oti vorv iust. Hoar his sloiy ami adviso liim for (In* host. II jtishVos aro to |>o proceeded aoamst for pvrry unintentional and penv mo^ulnritv, I shall very soon roroivo the resignations of two ihirds of them. Mr. I.adni'M informs in** tlui* Mr. Kllory demands of him tiltv dollars. and promisor to dweontinuc hi** f?nn|?(:iint. ?Ihi? is a lu-aw :i^s??^niont oil a poor man t* * r mi }iou<**| art. Hui, il nothing olsr ran l> -	if	may ho \v < * 11 to pav
Mr. Kllory. al my expeiiso. I niton m-c iuMam.os of tln -i- |....... people l?cin*? oppressed
iin<11'r '-olor "j law, and always M-i'ioi wln-n 1 have it n<? t in mv |>?Twr lo intervene.?
Mr. Kllory, got. Ins. (illy dollars, and di??d not, long alter, and was luii'ied ill tlio old grave yard on I lie Ironl.
AI H.jiit, that hino, lSlii, the Mississippi Territory was represented m (Joien?ess l>v Ihe lion, licorm! Poindexter, a. man of irreat
O	.	~	?	O'
a 1' 1111 v, who was then taking measures lo have Mississippi admit,led
into the IJnion as a Slate.
Amoiii!; his papers I lind tho following letter from Gov. Claiborne, from which I (junto :
?1 Succors altond your efforts to In-ini' in Mississippi, hut I cannot approve vmir wish to n It n t * 11 t1i-? whole of \V*?st Florida 11 :t* I you proo.wed that < hleans Territory should r> \ 11 ? ii < I oust v. a r< I to IVarl rivi-r, and up to Iho ;i|s( doj^r**; andtlio di-diml	JVarl
rivor U> lli*' Perdido, to he attached lo Mississippi T'-rnioiy, I should have :nnde no opposition Hut your demand for tin* wled.- is rather extravagant, and would l>? greatly mimious lo tho interests of Louisiana, I, mvsolf, \vi*uM prefer (lie Perdido foi m/r
?	t' t<-ni Iroij11' 1 aiy, and ihep- av :lioii ' eipiilios in iho rSann l-nl wo will compromise and tnke :o? I nr as I'oatl rivet. :md \< ?v lo y?m tin* < otintiv on the I'asr-iooti 1 :i a.tid 'fom-and tlic custody ol our ol Iho ^reat avenues of western roniinnm?, the Muliilo
rivor."
Mr 1 ?oindoxtor's views did not pie vail. There was at that time great, jealousy of territorial domination, and a disposition to eireinnserihe instead of extending boundaries. Tim Stale of Georgia, which had once claimed nearly the whole country known as Mississippi Territory, and organized it into a county? called liourbon, was particularly vehement in her opposition to Mr. Poindexter's plan, and even voted against our admission into the Union.
An act of Congress, approved April I 1th, I-SI'J, attached all West, Florida, lying between the ('astern branch of Pearl river, the 1st degree of latitude, and the Mississippi river, to Louisiana; and happily lor us, this Sen coast became part, and parcel of tin' Mississippi 1'erriforv ; was eonslituied lllh Peceinber, ISI2, into the county of Hancock, and we assisted by our delegate, to make tho first con^t 11 ution preliminary to t he admission ol M ississippi as a State.
War having been declared by the United Slates against Groat l?liitaiu, our volunteers had been principally engaged in severe con-
n
flicts witli the Creek Indians, led by Gen. Claiborne of Natchez, and Gen. Nixon, of this county. Two regiments of United States troops, under Gen. Ripley, that had long been stationed here, (near the present mansion of our public-spirited fellow' citizen, Alfred Uhna.li, Esq.), and had recruited into its ranks a number of our residents, had left for Canada, and had jmrticipated in the bloodiest battles.
On the 13th December, 1814, a desparate conflict took place of! our shore between the American gunboats and the launches of the British fleet, having 1,200 seamen and marines and 45 pieces of cannon. The enemy captured the sloop Adigator, and cut off the schooner Sea-horse, which had been sent here to remove the public stores; blither gallant captain seeing that his vessel could not be saved?blew her up, and the stores with her.
A regiment of militia, under Colonel-------------, from the interior,
had been stationed here several days, to oppose the landing of the enemy. They had two pieces of cannon in position. When the British Flotilla pproached to cut off the Sea-horse, the militia became nervous, and began to break ranks. Most of our citizens were on the bluff, and an invalid lady, from Natchez, exclaimed:	11 My
God, Colonel, lire one gun for the honor of the country!?
The gallant colonel probably did not hear these words, for he was rapidly retiring, followed by the bulk of his men, and their first halt was at the Big-spring beyond Ho-bo-lo-chitto.
The lady called for a light. 'The late John B. Toulme, then a youth, courteously 'handed his cigarette, and she discharged the cannon amidst the plaudits of our people.
A number of our young men, led by Mr. Toulmd, who knew the route through the marshes and bayous, went in pirogues with their rifles, and took part in the defense of New Orleans.
In those days this city was but a small village with no commerce, resorted to merely as a summer retreat. Pearlington was the commercial point. It had been laid out on a metropolitan scale, covering, I believe, near a section of land, and it had been visited by the legislature, then sitting in Columbia, in 1821, wdio were sumptuously entertained, and went away with the most favorable impressions. Pearl River, from a point 20 miles below Columbia, to Monticello, was settled by wealthy planters, chiefly from South Carolina, who sent their cotton down in barges, shipped it to New Orleans on schooners, and brought back their supplies. This made Pearlington lively and prosperous, and many distinguished families resided there.


Claiborne, J.F.H Claiborne-J.F.H-126
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